From strong academics to championship-winning athletic programs to clubs and activities that meet nearly every need, we couldn’t be more grateful to choose the Forest Hills Public Schools experience for our children.

One of our biggest takeaways from this midterm cycle was the need to clue even more neighbors into the ongoing attack on our public schools and local government.

Our steadfast belief in FHPS doesn’t mean we’re complacent – we choose to pick our battles to prioritize locally relevant topics that are backed by data. Our executive committee and our many volunteers play active roles as academic and athletic boosters, room parents and PTO members. We want our district and kids to thrive.

If you stop and think for a moment, do you really think a top-ranked, destination district like Forest Hills Public Schools would jeopardize its reputation and everything it has built to watch it all crumble by doing any of the things attackers or some media claim?

Community members raised a hand this week to answer the question, “To me, Forest Hills Public Schools is…”

What you’re about to read is a genuine ask for you to join us in the fight of our time to protect all that we love about Forest Hills Public Schools and the integrity of our Board of Education. We chose this district for what it is and all that it offers, which is why we cannot sit idly by while a politically motivated group tries to change everything.

What can school districts and communities expect if candidates begin to infuse their subjective processes and disinformation campaigns onto governing boards? Here’s a case study of what can happen from the coincidentally named Forest Hills School District in Cincinnati, Ohio

Sensing a new opportunity due to societal division, politicians and think tanks like The Heritage Foundation, ALEC, and Manhattan Institute reignited attacks that completely spin, exaggerate and make-up issues to weaponize schools and teachers to further their cause. Their “low hanging fruit” is anything with an acronym, like “CRT,” DE&I” and “SEL” or “LGBTQ,” knowing they are less understood and easy to manipulate to drive fear about the unknown. We know this to be true because those waging these attacks have laid out their plans for public consumption in hopes they gain credit for turning America’s tide toward privatization in education once and for all.

Culture wars around the way American students experience their K-12 education are heating up for “back to school.” The 2021-2022 school year initiated the newest and most aggressive attacks on public education by the pro-privatization and hyper-political crowd. The resulting extremism divided communities and labeled beloved teachers as “people you wouldn’t want to babysit your kids for 20 minutes,” according to a recent speech by the former president. However, time on the front lines of these school culture wars shows a need for attackers to consider softening their message.

By now, we hope it has become largely clear that the attacks our school district has endured for the past year are directly tied to the efforts to pass the latest voucher scheme and support the candidacies of pro-voucher politicians up and down the ballot.

Parental choice – it’s one of the most buzzed about phrases facing the education system today and helps underscore that parents and caretakers remain the ultimate decision makers when it comes to their child’s learning journey.

Longtime Forest Hills Public Schools Board of Education member, Suzanne Callahan, took on the new role of board president in January 2022. Support FHPS was interested in hearing more about what President Callahan loves about the district and how we she is embracing this new position.

This month, Forest Hills Public Schools gained a second “attack group” in the community with an even more aggressive political agenda than the original group. Each group is taking a unique path to achieve their end goals of overthrowing our Board of Education, defunding Forest Hills Public Schools and imposing one-sided, partisan agendas. Here in this rundown, we’re covering all you need to know about this growing and rapidly evolving political attack on Forest Hills Public Schools and other public schools in Michigan.

Respected Forest Hills Public Schools’ Superintendent Daniel Behm has proudly served the district since 2006. In this role, he is responsible for setting the vision and direction for FHPS. “As the superintendent, I am ultimately responsible for the education-related decisions in our school district. Even more important, I am responsible for keeping students and staff members safe throughout the educational process.”

Support FHPS rallied the community together in effort to save $100,000 from the district’s operating budget amid a wasteful recall attempt, but there is far more funding we stand to lose as this continues.

Once an overlooked role, Boards of Education and the ways they support our schools have come into tighter focus.

Our amazing and award-winning Forest Hills Public Schools district is unfortunately the latest to be targeted by a concerted effort among independent (but sometimes national and state-level third party) groups to disrupt schools and their Boards of Education. Sadly, we are not alone – the same groups are attempting this disruption in Lowell, Rockford, Grandville, Byron Center and all over the state.

With a rich and successful 65-year heritage, Forest Hills Public Schools attracts families from far and wide. Support FHPS recently issued a call for the factors that inspired enrollment and make this a district worthy of backing.

How do we inspire the “bounce” in our students’ steps from kindergarten up through 12th grade?

Unfortunately, Forest Hills is the latest thumbtack on a national map of quiet communities to be targeted with agenda-driven attacks on its schools and Board of Education.